Are you someone who has been looking for a new Jazz mouthpiece but don’t know where to start? Finding the perfect mouthpiece that is tailored to your unique playing style is a daunting task, which is why I am excited to announce that on August 28th at 7pm, we will be continuing our “Tools of The Trade” series with the great Michael Stricklin, presented by jj Babbitt!
Are you a jazz musician who has ever wanted to play alongside, and learn from, some of the greats? Or do you just have a passing interest in how jazz music works? If you’re either of these, or anything in between, you definitely won’t want to miss our clinic on Thursday, November 3, at 7 p.m., where we welcome two stellar jazz performers and educators, Mark Buselli and Freddie Mendoza!
When looking for a new mouthpiece I think it is a great idea to try out a few mouthpieces before you decide on making the purchase. I have some recommendations for jazz mouthpieces that will help the development of a quality jazz sound. I believe that starting out on a hard rubber jazz mouthpiece will help develop a strong sound and feel for the jazz mouthpieces. If you are just getting started in jazz band I would recommend trying out some Meyer and Otto Link mouthpieces preferably the hard rubber. These mouthpieces are not only great for beginners, but more advanced players as well. If you are a little bit more advanced with jazz music. I would highly recommend trying out the Vandoren V16 M/S+, Daddario Jazz Select (pictured), or Jody Jazz Hr*. These mouthpieces are high quality and reasonably priced! Please reach out to me if you have any questions!
We often get questions about having an instrument repaired at Paige’s Music. Here are some Frequently Asked Questions that will be helpful if you are considering sending in your instrument for service.
When looking for a new mouthpiece I think it is a great idea to try out a few mouthpieces before you decide on making the purchase. I have some recommendations for classical mouthpieces. These mouthpieces will suit playing in a concert band or solo setting.
When talking about jazz and classical mouthpieces I believe that you first need to understand the major sound difference between the two genres of music.
School has been back in session for a few months. And whether you are in-person, virtual, or on a hybrid schedule, it is a great time to talk about the benefits of an upgraded instrument! Manufacturers build student level instruments to be durable and easy to play. This is great for a new player but it can become a detriment as the individual progresses. Some of the benefits that you gain with an upgraded instrument can include: better tone, improved range, new features and even different materials that are used when making it. Another great time about this time of year is that it is rebate season and the most popular one is Step Up to Yamaha! The Step Up to Yamaha rebate promotion provides great consumer offers on some of the finest quality instruments from one of the most recognizable brands in the music industry. This is an opportunity to get a great instrument and receive either a $50 or $100 rebate back from Yamaha. Paige’s Music is one the select few Yamaha Shokunun dealers in Indiana! That means we carry a very wide array of Intermediate, Professional, and Custom level Yamaha Instruments. This includes Xeno and Custom Z Trumpets and
We are excited and encouraged to see so many students gearing up for back-to-school and joining band and orchestra! While things certainly look a little different this year, there is one thing that remains the same; the positive, life changing experiences your students will gain by participating in music. Our team is ready to assist and support you and your student in any way possible! In saying that, we have added some new products to our website. These items have been designed by our manufacturer partners to help mitigate the spread of aerosols from wind instruments. You can view the complete and detailed list here. As always, if there is anything we can do for you during this time, please do not hesitate to reach out!
We share “Music Truths” a couple of times a week that focus on all of the benefits that students gain from participating in school music. This time on our student spotlight, the students of the SYO share a few things that they’ve learned along the way that will benefit them in the future.
We recommend that you send your instrument in for a check-up at least 2 times a year to keep it in proper playing condition. And what better time to do that then during summer break while you may have some down time. And if you need a loaner to use while we have your instrument, we have you covered.* Bring your instrument by our store M-F 10-6 and Sat. 10-4, or give us a call to see if we have visits scheduled for your school over the summer. Have questions? Call us at 1.317.577.3415 or drop us an email at [email protected]. Enjoy your time off and don’t forget to practice! *Loaner instruments guaranteed for all active rentals and service policies only. Loaners for general repair customers dependent upon our loaner instrument inventory.
Last time we discussed potential items to practice over the summer and I mentioned we would focus more on improving our technique. While a very broad and often times all-encompassing term, I would like to focus on a few areas of technique and try to assist brass players, mainly the trumpet players in the audience, in forming a schedule to maximize their time.
Music has a mysterious power. In his TedTalk, Stephon Alexander explores the parallel between jazz music and the functioning of our universe. Stephon’s journey in becoming a physicist started in high school when he encountered a teacher who believed in his potential and introduced him to the magic of jazz while fostering a connection between John Coltrane and Albert Einstein. The narrative takes us to the present day with the world of physics attempting to understand the origin of the universe, which may in fact have its own parallel to a jazz improvisation. In closing, Stephon challenges us to live a life of improvisation. Stephon Alexander is the EE Just Professor at Dartmouth College of Natural Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, focusing on theoretical cosmology, quantum gravity and particle physics, and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. Stephon studied at Brown University and conducted postodoctoral research at Imperial College, London and at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Laboratory. He also plays jazz saxophone and sees improvisation as an extension of his scholarship. Stephon is the current President of the National Society of Black Physicists. Interested in more of Dr. Alexander’s work? He recently appeared on The Portal podcast discussing jazz, theoretical physics, politics,
A lot of on-site summer music camps have been cancelled, but there are still plenty of options available to study online. Here are just a few I found for low brass players.
At a time when marching band or other summer music camps are typically ramping up into full gear, I know there are many students who are sitting at home wondering what should they be doing? Well, if the latest video game or hit show has either lost its appeal or you’ve completed them it could be time to dust off your good ol’ instrument and make a plan for the summer to stay in shape in the event any of these typical summer activities should return.
Looking for some options to keep your skills progressing over the summer? Here are 5 summer trombone resources that you can use without leaving your house!
When we buy an instrument, just like the old classic muscle cars, there are plenty of things we can do to it after purchase to tweak how it performs. Let’s talk about aftermarket add-ons!
Finding music to listen to can be a tough challenge if you don’t know what to look for. There is simply so much content out there that sorting through everything to find the good stuff can be tricky. Fortunately for you some of the world’s leading music organizations have already done this for you. Check out what they’ve put together!
I feel like I talk about mouthpieces WAY too much. And you know what they say; “The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one!” At one point I definitely had 70 mouthpieces of all different sizes with different purposes and I would just try to make things work even if they didn’t want to, which I now realize is the wrong way to go about selecting equipment. This brings me to a very important topic and an anecdote to help try to prove my case. I bought a very specific, specialized trumpet from a friend that was designed to be an orchestral Bb and pair well with the matching C trumpet model in this brand’s line. Now, I truly believe there isn’t much this horn can’t do, but I definitely feel that it favors larger mouthpieces in general to achieve the purpose for which it was built. There are many factors to consider such as bore size, bell, leadpipe, and instrument weight, as well as many others. I’ll take a few horns and give some examples of mouthpieces that might work well with it and why.
Originally composed in 1837, Ferdinand David’s Concertino for Trombone, Op. 4 is perhaps the most important trombone solo in our repertoire. It is asked for as a part of nearly every classical audition for tenor trombone. If you are an aspiring trombonist, this should be part of your regular listening and practice regimen.
Last time we discussed instruments that would be good for those of us who primarily want to play jazz or commercial types of music and left it by discussing studio musicians who may need to do it all. This leads us nicely into the classical side of trumpet playing and the instruments needed for that work. In order of importance here are my suggestions. (Your timeline may vary. Please consult your teacher/professor on when it is appropriate to purchase these instruments)
